The body of Col. Ilan Ramon was identified

A short time ago, the IDF spokesperson announced that the body of Major General Ilan Ramon, the first Israeli astronaut, had been identified. His family has been notified. The military rabbinate expressed its recognition of the sure identification of Col. Ramon's body by NASA
By: Avi Blizovsky, and a collection from the news websites

Part of the Air Force flag, one of the items Ramon took with him and which is found in Texas

A short time ago, the IDF spokesperson announced that the body of Major General Ilan Ramon, the first Israeli astronaut, had been identified. His family has been notified. The military rabbinate expressed its recognition of the sure identification of Col. Ramon's body by NASA. Representatives of the Zaka organization also arrived in the US tonight and joined the representative of the military rabbinate, in order to handle Ramon's body according to Jewish law. In the following days, the necessary arrangements will be made to bring him to a proper burial in Israel.

NASA personnel are the ones who delivered the message to his widow Rona Ramon and the IDF representatives who arrived in Houston, Texas. Afterwards, the air attaché of the Defense Air Force and the Chief of Staff announced this. Ramon's body will soon be flown to Israel, and a military funeral will be held.

The chief military rabbi, Brigadier General Israel Weiss, says this morning in GLAZ: "We have absolute identification of Ilan Ramon." It is done using DNA tests whose degree of reliability is absolute." In an interview with Gali IDF, Lieutenant Colonel Weiss further said that Ramon will be buried with a military funeral in Israel: "From the point of view of Halacha, when we find even the smallest organ, from the perspective of Halacha it's like an olive, we are required to bring this organ to burial. You can give him a perfect military funeral."

Ilan Ramon's father was also interviewed by Galz, on Rafi Rashef's show, and said: "I would prefer an unknown and alive Ilan, than a dead hero." In an interview with Gali IDF, Wolferman talked about his thoughts regarding what the astronaut team went through in the seconds before the crash: These moments keep going through my head, it's very difficult. Hell in the sky".
The Haaretz newspaper reports that the remains of Ramon's body were identified among the parts of the bodies of four astronauts, which were discovered yesterday. It is still unclear who the remains belong to, but NASA experts have identified that they are the remains of the bodies of four astronauts. It was reported on the radio that NASA personnel identified Ramon's jawbone. On this website we estimated yesterday that the fact that four bodies were found and not three, raises the likelihood that Ramon's body is one of them and this is because the crew sat on two different levels prior to the landing, on the upper level sat the commander of the spacecraft Rick Husband, Scanno and the shuttle pilot Willie McCall and the astronaut Laurel Clark .
Maariv says that the US Air Force attache, Lt. Col. Rani Fleck, who studied with Ramon in the pilot course, said this morning: "This is a relief for all of us, and especially for the family members. A few minutes ago, NASA officially announced that Ilan Ramon has been identified, and we will be able to bring him for burial in the State of Israel in the coming days. The identification is certain, and it was carried out by NASA experts and a member of the military rabbinate. We will only know at night when NASA releases the coffin, and then the family will fly to Israel and it will be brought to Israel for burial."

Among the remains of the shuttle "Columbia" collected in Texas yesterday was an Air Force flag, one of the souvenirs that the late Ilan Ramon took with him into space. Researchers of the shuttle disaster began yesterday to treat a large part of the shuttle's bow, which was discovered buried in a wooded area, about 200 km from the center of space. This part is considered extremely significant in terms of investigating the cause of the spacecraft crash. Yesterday it was announced that significant progress had been made in the discovery of body parts.
NASA notes that in the last two days there has been progress in the investigation, however, the manager of the space shuttle program at NASA, Ron Ditmore, said that "if we do not manage to find several important parts, we will not be able to know for sure the reason for the disintegration of the shuttle."
So far, part of the astronauts' cabin and electronic components of the flight data recording system have been found. The most important parts in terms of the investigation are the ones that fell off the shuttle first. An eyewitness claims to have seen parts fall from the Columbia as it passed over California. "If the facts are true, it will be significant for the investigation," Ditmore said. Parts that fell from the spacecraft were also reported in Arizona, and they were collected for examination. If it turns out that they are indeed related to Columbia, it means that the shuttle began to break up much earlier than the researchers first thought.
NASA knew about the damage to the ceramic tiles on the left wing already in the first days of the mission, but the engineers came to the conclusion that there was no safety problem. This is despite the fact that a NASA document from several years ago states that even the disintegration of individual tiles may cause enormous damage.
NASA personnel have so far scanned an area of ​​approximately 28 square miles in order to locate remains. The investigators are concerned about the theft of many fragments of the shuttle by civilians. About a hundred parts are known to have been stolen in Texas - including components of the control panel that may help solve the mystery. Yesterday, police officers visited private homes in search of the computer components. NASA continues to warn the public against contact with the shuttle parts, and asks for the public's help in reporting the finding of fragments.
Rona, the widow of Ilan Ramon, and his son Assaf, called a press conference in Houston tonight * Ramon is planning at this stage
to stay with her children in the USA * voiced implicit criticism of NASA

"I want to follow in my father's footsteps and fly into space," said Assaf Ramon, the 15-year-old son of Ilan Ramon, at a press conference held by him and his mother in Houston tonight. Assaf added that from a young age he dreamed of becoming a pilot, but now following the incident he intends to become an astronaut.

The families of the victims of the Columbia space shuttle disaster met last night with the families of the Challenger disaster that occurred in 1986. "We talked with them and learned that the human composition of the Challenger crew was very similar to that of Columbia," said Rona Ramon, Ilan's widow. There was a Jewish woman and a Buddhist guy there," she added. Ramon also said that the meeting was good and that "they advised us from their experience".

The family members also met with President Bush, and Ramon said that the American president was warm and cordial "he hugged the children and invited them to visit the White House" Ramon added that at this stage she intends to stay in the US as she thinks it would be the best thing for her and the children. They receive support here from a team of NASA psychologists, and also at school they will be able to receive a lot of support, which will be difficult for them to receive in Israel."

Ramon expressed an implicit criticism of NASA by saying "we still have difficult questions and we are still waiting for the answers" but then she stated that she is sure that NASA did the job in the best way possible "Ilan was so confident in the system that I don't believe there was a mistake" as she said.

Ramon stated that the crew did not know about the expected danger "I think they knew that some tiles knew, but this is something that happens in almost every launch and does not constitute a real danger. According to the emails that Ilan wrote to us, he was sure that everything would go smoothly." "I am glad that it was so and that they enjoyed the experience to the fullest and did not worry. Ilan always said he didn't want to be old and sick, and indeed in the end he died young and beautiful" concluded Ramon.

Among the remains of the shuttle "Columbia" collected in Texas yesterday was an Air Force flag, one of the souvenirs that the late Ilan Ramon took with him into space. Researchers of the shuttle disaster began yesterday to treat a large part of the shuttle's bow, which was discovered buried in a wooded area, about 200 km from the center of space. This part is considered extremely significant in terms of investigating the cause of the spacecraft crash. Yesterday it was announced that significant progress had been made in the discovery of body parts.

NASA notes that in the last two days there has been progress in the investigation, however, the manager of the space shuttle program at NASA, Ron Ditmore, said that "if we do not manage to find several important parts, we will not be able to know for sure the reason for the disintegration of the shuttle."

So far, part of the astronauts' cabin and electronic components of the flight data recording system have been found. The most important parts in terms of the investigation are the ones that fell off the shuttle first. An eyewitness claims to have seen parts fall from the Columbia as it passed over California. "If the facts are true, it will be significant for the investigation," Ditmore said. Parts that fell from the spacecraft were also reported in Arizona, and they were collected for examination. If it turns out that they are indeed related to Columbia, it means that the shuttle began to break up much earlier than the researchers first thought.

NASA knew about the damage to the ceramic tiles on the left wing already in the first days of the mission, but the engineers came to the conclusion that there was no safety problem. This is despite the fact that a NASA document from several years ago states that even the disintegration of individual tiles may cause enormous damage.

The investigators are concerned about the theft of many fragments of the shuttle by civilians. About a hundred parts are known to have been stolen in Texas - including components of the control panel that may help solve the mystery. Yesterday, police officers visited private homes in search of the computer components. NASA continues to warn the public against contact with the shuttle parts, and asks for the public's help in reporting the finding of fragments.

So far, the remains of four bodies have been discovered. The body parts were found in 15 places, and the searchers are using dogs to find more parts. Two jaws found have been identified, and the others will be identified through DNA testing.
The Rabbinate relies on the American test

A man who fell from a ship and his body was not found, says the Halacha, it is not known for sure that he died and an additional witness is needed in order to allow his wife to leave her berth. "The case is different with a person who fell from a spaceship," says the chief military rabbi, Brigadier General Israel Weiss, "such a person is more comparable in my view to someone who fell into a hot shooter, that is, his death is certain even if his body is not found."

The initial assumption of the military rabbinate, based on the circumstances of the crash, was: Lt. Col. Ilan Ramon's body will never be found and he will be considered a space whose burial place is unknown. Therefore, his family was supposed to start fasting and other mourning customs already on the day of the disaster. However, the arrival of the news about the discovery of body parts cast doubt on the initial assumption and justified the sending of a special representative of the rabbinate. The identification of the body - there is no problem relying on the findings of the American DNA tests for this matter - there is an end to the confusion and the uncertainty.

The halachic commandment of bringing the dead to burial applies to any part of his body that exceeds an "olive". Hair, for example, is not required to be buried, as are objects in which the blood of the dead is absorbed. The rest of the matters are left to the discretion of the family. Thus, for example, the question of whether to immediately bring the remains for burial or wait for the end of the search for remains.
If remains are found in the future, it will be necessary to give Ramon a second burial - in that case the family will have to decide whether to bury the remains in Ramon's grave or in a special plot located in the military cemetery in Kiryat Shaul.

The Columbia ferry crash

Ramon was definitely identified with the help of a DNA test

By Natan Gutman (USA) and Amos Harel, Haaretz

Searching for the remains of the space shuttle Columbia in Texas, yesterday. Most of Ramon's body parts were found and identified with certainty through both dental and DNA tests
The family members of Lt. Col. Ilan Ramon hope that his funeral can be held this coming Tuesday in Israel, this after the remains of his body were discovered yesterday. The date of the funeral depends on the find and the identification of other body parts.

The identification of Ramon's body was communicated late Tuesday night to IDF representatives in Houston and to his family members. "It was a huge relief for the family. Joy mixed with sadness," said the IDF attaché in the US, Major General Moshe Evri-Suknik, who received the news from NASA.
According to Israeli officials, most of Ramon's body parts were found and identified with certainty both by dental tests and by preliminary DNA tests. Ramon's body was moved from the area where it was found to the pathology facility of the US Air Force in Dover in the state of Delaware. The representative of the Chief Military Rabbinate, Lt. Col. Zvi Belek, who was sent from Israel, also participated in the identification. Ramon will be buried with a full military ceremony.

The Chief of Staff, Major General Moshe Ya'alon, is expected to positively examine the possibility of promoting Ramon to the rank of lieutenant colonel. If Ya'alon recommends it, Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz will approve the decision. The IDF says that Ramon's age, his impressive background in the Air Force and the fact that he went on a state mission for the first mission of its kind, and of course the heavy public mourning - are all factors that may lead to a decision on a promotion.

There is a technical problem (according to the procedure, a spaceman who held a position whose standard is higher than his actual rank is promoted; Ramon was not like that). However, it seems that this problem will be solved. Another difficulty lies in the fact that senior officers who were killed in recent years in the territories and in Lebanon were not promoted after their death.

Rona Ramon held a press conference in front of her home in Houston the day before the news of the body's identification. She said that she does not believe that there was any omission at NASA and that she is sure, just as Ilan was sure, that the space agency did everything to ensure the safety of the flight. However, Rona Ramon stated that she is waiting to hear "answers to difficult questions", as she said.
Ramon said that she intends to stay in the US for the time being and that after the funeral she will return to her home in Houston, where she and the children receive a lot of support from NASA.

Ramon stated that in all the e-mail messages that Ilan sent, he gave no sign that he was afraid of a malfunction or a problem and she even said that even in the messages he sent the day before the landing, he did not express concern. "He meant for us to read the messages together at home," she said. Assaf Ramon, the eldest son of Ilan and Rona, said that he always dreamed of becoming a pilot and that "now I want to fly into space, like father."
NASA did not provide any information yesterday about the progress of locating the remains of the other six astronauts and about the identification process.